Doctor of Education in Professional Counseling and Supervision

The Mission of the Professional Counseling and Supervision program (Ed.D.) is to prepare counseling professionals to positively impact their clients and communities of service through effective practices and programs, leadership, and advocacy.

Ed.D. in Professional Counseling and Supervision equips graduates with the skills they need for advancement and/or achievement in counseling-related positions. The curriculum builds upon skills and knowledge acquired through previous degrees in counseling and extends graduates' knowledge through an emphasis on program evaluation, clinical and administrative supervision, and advocacy and leadership.

At the completion of the program, students defend a professional practice dissertation that is designed to evaluate and improve programs in order to positively impact the clients and communities of service in which they work.

The Ed.D. in Professional Counseling and Supervision is an applied doctorate with an emphasis on the application of knowledge through continued practice. The program begins each summer with a cohort of 12 students.

The program consists of two tracks depending on the previous education of applicants. Applicants with an Ed.S. will be placed in the accelerated track consisting of 39 credits and two years of coursework including the dissertation. Students admitted without an Ed.S. will be placed in the 60 credit hour track with a requirement of 4 electives. More information on the courses and plan of study can be found in the courses tab.

Two doctoral level courses are offered each term. The program builds upon a strong foundation developed through previous graduate education and professional experience. Doctoral students learn to evaluate and improve programs and interventions in the context of their current work settings. Dissertations, evaluation studies, are developed through embedded assignments across the curriculum. The counseling faculty in the Department of Communication Sciences and Professional Counseling are well-recognized at state, regional and national levels for their professionalism. They consistently publish research and practice articles in peer reviewed journals, attend and present at state, regional and national conferences, and hold leadership positions in professional and honor societies. Open the faculty link on this page to view their credentials.

Program Location

Online

Method of Delivery

Students enroll in two courses per term for a 2 year period. The courses are delivered via distance technology. Aside from a required on-campus orientation at the beginning of the first summer term of enrollment, all curricular and extracurricular experiences are managed through distance technology.

Accreditation

The University of West Georgia is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Credit and transfer

This program is offered entirely online. Though a student may choose to sign-up for a face-to-face elective or core course, one can earn this degree completely online.

Save money

UWG is often ranked as one of the most affordable accredited university of its kind, regardless of
the method of delivery chosen. In addition, online courses and programs can mean a huge cost-savings in many
non-evident ways: No more high gas charges. No childcare needed. The flexibility can allow one to maintain a job while
attending school. Regardless of state residency, out-of-state non-resident students are not charged non-resident
tuition for online course credit hours.

Details

Total tuition costs and fees may vary, depending on the instructional method of the courses in which the student
chooses to enroll.

The more courses a student takes in a single term, the more they will typically save in fees and total cost.

Face-to-Face or partially online courses are charged at the general tuition rate and all mandatory campus fees,
based on the student's residency (non-residents are charged at a higher rate).

Fully or entirely online courses are charged at the general tuition rate plus an eTuition rate BUT with fewer fees
and no extra charges to non-Residents.

Together this means that GA residents pay about the same if they take all face-to-face or partially online courses
as they do if they take only fully online courses exclusively; while non-residents save money by taking fully online
courses.

One word of caution: If a student takes a combination of face-to-face and online courses in a single term, they
will pay both all mandatory campus fees and the higher eTuition rate.

General

This course focuses on the theories, concepts, and processes involved in planning and managing evaluations. Students will engage in evaluations in specific counseling situations (individual, group, organizational) using focus groups, key stakeholder interviews, survey design, data gathering, analysis and/or other methods as appropriate and analyze outcomes to make recommendations for development and/or remediation.

This course is a special topics seminar structured to address current issues and trends in counseling. An exchange of scholarly thinking and research will be the hallmark of classroom interactions and activities.

This course is a special topics seminar structured to address advocacy of marginalized and underserved populations in counseling. An exchange of scholarly thinking and research will be the hallmark of classroom interactions and activities.

This course entails a minimum of 300 clock hours of supervised experiences over the course of two semesters. One experience of 150 hours focuses on administrative supervision in counseling and one experience of 150 hours focuses on program evaluation.

This course is designed to provide closely directed advanced experience in supervision of professional counseling. The focus is on development of effective clinical supervision style and skills via recording and critique of supervision sessions. Ethical, legal, multicultural and other professional issues are addressed.

This course introduces the graduate student to basic methods of empirical inquiry used in education, nursing, and related social sciences. Quantitative research designs commonly used in these disciplines are emphasized. Students will learn how to select samples, identify appropriate measurement instruments, analyze data descriptively, and apply a variety of inferential statistical tests to answer research questions.

This course focuses on the use of qualitative methods of research, including theoretical perspectives and methods of collection and analysis of qualitative data sources in educational studies. It emphasizes analysis of work samples, observations, inquiry data, artifacts, and other sources of data. Students become skilled at using methods of qualitative research to evaluate school improvement issues. In addition, students examine strategies for thematic and other forms of analysis of observational and inquiry data. Throughout the course students collect and analyze school improvement data.

Official transcripts from a regionally or nationally accredited institution are required and should be sent directly to the UWG Graduate Admissions Office.

Students who apply and are admitted without an Ed.S. will be required to take an extra year of courses. Please review the Courses tab for a detailed plan of study.

Program Specific Admittance Guidelines

Required Qualifications:

In order to eligible to apply to the Ed.D. in Professional Counseling and Supervision, all of the following must be met:

Licensed or Licensable in counseling or related field

Official GRE scores not older than 5 years with preferred scores of

Verbal 151

Quantitative 142

Masters in counseling or related field

(i.e. Psychology, clinical social worker, mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist (MFT), school psychologist, school counselor, or school social worker) - CACREP accredited or equivalent accreditation*

Minimum of three years of counseling experience in private or public schools, community agency, university, hospital, or private practice

If all of the above are met, then the application requires the following:

A 300-500 word essay presenting the applicant's professional goals and the relationship between those goals and the program mission

Official transcripts from all schools attended for all degrees including schools attended only for transfer credit

Three recommendations from professionals who are familiar with the applicant's professional qualities and academic potential. The electronic Recommendation Request form will be available after you submit your application

Vitae

*If the program was not CACREP accredited at the time of the applicant's graduation, the applicant must demonstrate that the program was substantially CACREP equivalent or the accrediting body that accredited the degree is equivalent to CACREP standards.